Alice Fordhamhttp://krcc.org
enRamadi, Iraq, Offensive Delays Efforts To Take Back Mosul http://krcc.org/post/ramadi-iraq-offensive-delays-efforts-take-back-mosul
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Ramadi%2C+Iraq%2C+Offensive+Delays+Efforts+To+Take+Back+Mosul+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA5MTYwMDQ1MDEzMzE1ODcyMjRmY2FlMA004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: <p>We heard from Scott that the fight against ISIS in Iraq is one of the big questions President Obama faced at the end of the G7 conference. It was June of last year when ISIS invaded Mosul.Mon, 08 Jun 2015 21:18:00 +0000Alice Fordham35657 at http://krcc.orgWith Syria's Army Losing Ground, A Boost From Hezbollah http://krcc.org/post/syrias-army-losing-ground-boost-hezbollah
The dirt roads on the border between Syria and Lebanon wind across a mountain range dotted with little wildflowers.<p>It's windswept and deserted except for a few hilltop outposts with clumps of gray tents, machine-gun nests and flags that fly the green and gold colors of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.<p>These posts are new.Sun, 24 May 2015 11:31:00 +0000Alice Fordham35049 at http://krcc.orgWith Syria's Army Losing Ground, A Boost From Hezbollah A Wedding And A Challenge: Lebanese Couples Fight For Civil Marriagehttp://krcc.org/post/wedding-and-challenge-lebanese-couples-fight-civil-marriage
Like lots of young married couples, Kholoud Succariyeh and Nidal Darwish love to show their wedding video. They go all misty-eyed remembering that day two years ago.<p>"Very beautiful," says Succariyeh. "Everything is nice."<p>Their wedding was special, not only as a personal milestone for the couple. It was a political milestone, as well.<p>Darwish says their union was a challenge to the state: It was Lebanon's first civil marriage.<p>No one ever said marriage was easy, but in Lebanon, it's even harder.Fri, 22 May 2015 13:33:00 +0000Alice Fordham34986 at http://krcc.orgA Wedding And A Challenge: Lebanese Couples Fight For Civil MarriageAfter A Big Victory For ISIS, Iraqi Forces Look To Regroup http://krcc.org/post/after-big-victory-isis-iraqi-forces-look-regroup
The black flag of the self-proclaimed Islamic State is flying over the Iraqi city of Ramadi after government forces collapsed and the extremists seized control over the weekend.<p>Thousands of civilians have fled Ramadi and those left behind face a chaotic situation.<p>"No food, no fuel, no electricity. It's very difficult there," says Sheikh Hekmat Suleiman, an adviser to the governor of Anbar Province.Tue, 19 May 2015 22:14:00 +0000Alice Fordham34859 at http://krcc.orgAfter A Big Victory For ISIS, Iraqi Forces Look To Regroup Is Bashar Assad Just Losing Some Ground ... Or His Grip On Power? http://krcc.org/post/bashar-assad-just-losing-some-ground-or-his-grip-power
The past few weeks have brought almost daily news of rebel victories in their 4-year-old battle against Syria's President Bashar Assad.<p>There was the capture of the crucial Nassib border crossing with Jordan — a key trade route and source of government taxes.Thu, 30 Apr 2015 14:26:00 +0000Alice Fordham34060 at http://krcc.orgIs Bashar Assad Just Losing Some Ground ... Or His Grip On Power? In Battered Tikrit, Iraqi Forces Claim Much, But Not All Of City http://krcc.org/post/battered-tikrit-iraqi-forces-claim-much-not-all-city
Driving from Baghdad north to Tikrit, we speed up a main road Wednesday through small towns that have been won back from the self-declared Islamic State, or ISIS. Some still have smoking buildings. <br /> Wed, 01 Apr 2015 20:20:00 +0000Alice Fordham32810 at http://krcc.orgIn Battered Tikrit, Iraqi Forces Claim Much, But Not All Of City Lebanon's Reality TV: Like The Kardashians, Only Less Serioushttp://krcc.org/post/lebanons-reality-tv-kardashians-only-less-serious
The Abdelaziz sisters live in a world of pretty artifice. Alice, Nadine and Farah answer the door in a flurry of hellos while their fluffball dog Stella barks and tinkles the bells on her tiny collar.<p>They usually live in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in a family home, but for the purposes of their new reality show, <em>The Sisters</em>, they reside in this apartment where green hillsides spill down from picture windows to the Mediterranean below.<p>"The view is amazing here," says Nadine, the middle sister.Wed, 25 Mar 2015 19:42:00 +0000Alice Fordham32499 at http://krcc.orgLebanon's Reality TV: Like The Kardashians, Only Less SeriousQatar Digital Library Preserves The Music Of A Vanishing Pasthttp://krcc.org/post/qatar-digital-library-preserves-music-vanishing-past
The songs our grandparents sang can tell us who we are. Here in the U.S., the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/folklife/lomax/lomaxiconicsonglist.html" target="_blank">Lomax family</a> became famous in the 1930s, when they recorded America's folk music.<p>In other countries that are changing fast, people are also trying to hold onto their heritage. The tiny, super-rich state of Qatar takes pride in its modernity, with its gleaming skyscrapers and lucrative gas fields.Sun, 22 Mar 2015 13:53:00 +0000Alice Fordham32359 at http://krcc.orgQatar Digital Library Preserves The Music Of A Vanishing PastISIS Video Shows Extremists Smashing Priceless Artifactshttp://krcc.org/post/isis-video-shows-extremists-smashing-priceless-artifacts
The self-styled Islamic State has released a video showing an orgy of destruction of ancient statues in the Iraqi city of Mosul, with footage at a museum and at least one archaeological site nearby.<p>The video begins with an image of the police known as the Hisba, tasked with enforcing their strict interpretation of Islamic law, patrolling the streets.Thu, 26 Feb 2015 16:27:00 +0000Alice Fordham31353 at http://krcc.orgISIS Video Purports To Show Killing Of Jordanian Pilothttp://krcc.org/post/isis-video-purports-show-killing-jordanian-pilot
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=ISIS+Video+Purports+To+Show+Killing+Of+Jordanian+Pilot&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxODMzOTc3MDEzMjAzMzEyMDA3Njc1Nw004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: <p>Strong, earth shaking and decisive - that's the response Jordan vowed after a video was posted today by the self-proclaimed Islamic State that appears to show the murder of a Jordanian pilot.Tue, 03 Feb 2015 21:37:00 +0000Alice Fordham30329 at http://krcc.orgJordan Considers Handing Over Prisoner For Hostage Pilothttp://krcc.org/post/jordan-considers-handing-over-prisoner-hostage-pilot
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Jordan+Considers+Handing+Over+Prisoner+For+Hostage+Pilot&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA5NjA1MTgyMDEzMzk3ODE2ODgwOGQyMQ004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: <p>The deadline passed today for when the self-proclaimed Islamic State or ISIS said it would kill two hostages, a Jordanian pilot who was flying bombing runs against ISIS and a Japanese journalist.Wed, 28 Jan 2015 21:34:00 +0000Alice Fordham30065 at http://krcc.orgSyrian Rebels Want To Fight Assad, But Now They'll Face ISIShttp://krcc.org/post/syrian-rebels-want-fight-assad-now-theyll-face-isis
In the U.S. view, the most serious threat coming from Syria is the self-styled Islamic State, or ISIS. That's why the Pentagon is sending forces to train what it terms moderate Syrian rebel fighters.<p>But here's the catch. Moderate rebel commanders say it will be hard to explain this mission to their troops, who took up arms with the aim of toppling Syrian President Bashar Assad, not ISIS.<p>The U.S. plan calls for the Americans and their allies to train and equip about 5,000 Syrian moderates. U.S.Mon, 26 Jan 2015 21:01:00 +0000Alice Fordham29972 at http://krcc.orgSyrian Rebels Want To Fight Assad, But Now They'll Face ISISPiece By Piece, Monks Scramble To Preserve Iraq's Christian Historyhttp://krcc.org/post/piece-piece-monks-scramble-preserve-iraqs-christian-history
In an unfinished building in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, displaced Christian children sing a little song about returning to their village. "We're going back," they sing, "to our houses, our land, our church."<p>Right now, they're living in an open concrete structure. The self-styled Islamic State, or ISIS, took over their home village of Qaraqosh, and the Christians fled in fear, on foot.<p>They finish their song and applause breaks out from two unlikely figures. One is a beaming Iraqi in white robes, Father Najeeb Michaeel.Sun, 25 Jan 2015 13:00:00 +0000Alice Fordham29928 at http://krcc.orgPiece By Piece, Monks Scramble To Preserve Iraq's Christian HistorySuspected Israeli Strike Kills Iranian General Advising Syrian Troopshttp://krcc.org/post/suspected-israeli-strike-kills-iranian-general-advising-syrian-troops
Iran says a general in the country's elite Revolutionary Guard was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Syria on Sunday that also killed several ranking members of Hezbollah.<p>Though these aren't the first Iranians or Hezbollah fighters to be killed in Syria, this incident stands out because these men were on the Syrian Golan Heights, within 10 miles of Israel's northeastern border.<p>Iran's official news agency quoted a website for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stating that Gen. Mohammad Ali Allahdadi was killed while in Syria advising Syrian troops.Mon, 19 Jan 2015 21:46:00 +0000Alice Fordham29698 at http://krcc.orgSuspected Israeli Strike Kills Iranian General Advising Syrian TroopsIn Jordan, The Comic Book Superheroes Fight Extremismhttp://krcc.org/post/comic-book-anti-jihadi-superheroes-called-fight-extremism
We've been hearing a lot about cartoons for all the wrong reasons recently: the horrifying attack on <em>Charlie Hebdo</em> in Paris, the divisive images, the threat of extremism. But one man in Jordan has been using comic book superheroes to try to bridge the divide and curb extremism.<p>His name is Suleiman Bakhit, and at a bar in Jordan's capital, Amman, he cracks open his laptop to show off some heroes. The artwork is sophisticated, vivid and influenced by Japanese comics.<p>"This is Element Zero.Thu, 15 Jan 2015 10:12:00 +0000Alice Fordham29529 at http://krcc.orgIn Jordan, The Comic Book Superheroes Fight ExtremismWith A Son Missing, Family Questions Jordan's Mission Against ISIShttp://krcc.org/post/son-missing-family-questions-jordans-mission-against-isis
In Jordan, the talk these days centers on the fate of <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/24/372867906/jordanian-pilot-captured-by-islamic-state-militants">the Jordanian pilot who was captured by the self-styled Islamic State</a> after his plane crashed in Syria on Christmas Eve.<p>Little is known about the condition of Moath al-Kasasbeh since the extremists tweeted pictures of him, bloody and bewildered, after the crash.<p>He was participating in the U.S.-led coalition's bombing raids against the self-styled Islamic State, or ISIS.Thu, 08 Jan 2015 22:14:00 +0000Alice Fordham29235 at http://krcc.orgWith A Son Missing, Family Questions Jordan's Mission Against ISISLife Flows Back Into The Waters Of Baghdad's Tigrishttp://krcc.org/post/life-flows-back-waters-baghdads-tigris
Some of the world's loveliest cities hug great rivers.Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:53:00 +0000Alice Fordham29176 at http://krcc.orgLife Flows Back Into The Waters Of Baghdad's TigrisAfter Making Waves In 2014, ISIS' Power Appears To Ebbhttp://krcc.org/post/after-making-waves-2014-isis-power-appears-ebb
In the heat of summer in 2014, Baghdad was spooked. A third of Iraq was under the control of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, or ISIS. The extremist group thrived in the chaos of the Syrian civil war, then surged over the border into Iraq and took over the cities of Mosul and Tikrit. People worried the capital might be next.<p>Six months on, that's changed.Sat, 03 Jan 2015 22:19:00 +0000Alice Fordham29021 at http://krcc.orgAfter Making Waves In 2014, ISIS' Power Appears To EbbThere And Back Again For U.S. Military In Iraqhttp://krcc.org/post/there-and-back-again-us-military-iraq
Three years after the U.S. military officially withdrew from Iraq, 2,000 U.S. troops are back. They're restoring the old buildings they'd left behind and renewing contacts with Iraqi officers they knew before.<p>They're also taking incoming rocket fire at their bases.<p>This week began an ambitious training program to put 5,000 Iraqi soldiers through boot camp every six weeks.<p>Operation Inherent Resolve was designed by the U.S. to build a coalition of states to strike back against the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS, in Iraq and Syria. The operation has seen a return of U.S.Wed, 31 Dec 2014 08:25:00 +0000Alice Fordham28869 at http://krcc.orgThere And Back Again For U.S. Military In IraqFor Syria's President, The Year Ends Better Than It Beganhttp://krcc.org/post/syrias-president-year-ends-better-it-began
At the beginning of 2014, Syrian President Bashar Assad had agreed to send his ministers to take part in negotiations in Switzerland, and his future as Syria's ruler was not looking very bright.<p>He was accused of killing tens of thousands of his own people in a civil war that was nearly three years old. The opposition was demanding Assad's ouster. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Switzerland and called loudly for a political transition in Syria. He was clear about who would not be involved.<p>"Bashar Assad will not be part of that transition government.Wed, 24 Dec 2014 08:22:00 +0000Alice Fordham28633 at http://krcc.orgFor Syria's President, The Year Ends Better Than It BeganAmid Strains, Syrian Refugees Are Facing Curfews In Lebanon http://krcc.org/post/amid-strains-syrian-refugees-are-facing-curfews-lebanon
In Lebanon — a fragile little country of just 4 million people — there are about 1 million refugees from Syria. Many have been here three years, and their welcome is starting to wear thin.<p>Some towns and villages have imposed a curfew on refugees – enforced by local groups of volunteers. But in a country that experienced a brutal civil war, some are concerned about the return of armed civilian groups.<p>I'm on a balcony overlooking olive trees and orchards in a town called Ebrin. It's Chadi's balcony – I'm not going to tell you his last name, for reasons I'll explain later.Tue, 16 Dec 2014 18:47:00 +0000Alice Fordham28304 at http://krcc.orgAmid Strains, Syrian Refugees Are Facing Curfews In Lebanon Contestant From War-Torn Syria Wins 'Arab Idol'http://krcc.org/post/contestant-war-torn-syria-wins-arab-idol
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Contestant+From+War-Torn+Syria+Wins+%27Arab+Idol%27&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA1MjI2NzUxMDEyNzQyMTY5MjQ2YzkwNA004)"/></div><p>Tue, 16 Dec 2014 10:26:00 +0000Alice Fordham28282 at http://krcc.orgSyrian Women Displaced By War Make Tragedy Of 'Antigone' Their Ownhttp://krcc.org/post/syrian-women-displaced-war-make-tragedy-antigone-their-own
Barefoot in a yoga studio in Lebanon's capital Beirut, a couple dozen actresses raise voices and stretch bodies that had grown used to being quiet and still.<p>"Go on," they cry as a clapping exercise speeds up, and they fill the room with whoops and uninhibited yells.<p>But these women aren't professional actresses. In fact, they're refugees from Syria, and this production of the Greek tragedy <em>Antigone</em> is a project designed to help them deal with their trauma.<p>"The play <em>Antigone</em> was an opportunity for us to voice everything inside of us," says one woman, Wisam Succari.Sat, 13 Dec 2014 10:39:00 +0000Alice Fordham28160 at http://krcc.orgSyrian Women Displaced By War Make Tragedy Of 'Antigone' Their OwnWith Shopping, Holy Sites, Najaf Offers Respite From Iraq's Violence http://krcc.org/post/shopping-holy-sites-najaf-offers-respite-iraqs-violence
The holy Iraqi city of Najaf has a brand-new and appropriately holy shopping center: the Najaf City Mall.<p>Under banners with Muslim prayers, children rampage through an adventure playground, while conservative women in long black robes browse for cute outfits to wear when they're home with family.<p>Think of Iraq and maybe you picture a desert battlefield: the self-styled Islamic State slugging it out with the Iraqi army while American warplanes drop bombs from the sky. But life there's not like that for everyone, not all the time.Sun, 30 Nov 2014 10:40:00 +0000Alice Fordham27591 at http://krcc.orgWith Shopping, Holy Sites, Najaf Offers Respite From Iraq's Violence Amid Violence, Iraq Fractures Again Along Religious Lineshttp://krcc.org/post/amid-violence-iraq-fractures-again-along-religious-lines
The shrine of Imam Ali in the Iraqi city of Najaf is a vast gold-domed edifice, where Shiite Muslims from all over the world gather to pray.<p>But just a few minutes drive away, are travelers of a different, shabbier kind. A long row of cinder block and sheet metal buildings is draped in bright flags with religious slogans. Usually, these are for pilgrims to sleep in. But right now, they're spilling over with displaced Iraqi families.<p>"It's tough for the children," says Zaira Raqib, a mother of four of them.Tue, 25 Nov 2014 20:28:00 +0000Alice Fordham27431 at http://krcc.orgAmid Violence, Iraq Fractures Again Along Religious LinesDespite A Massacre By ISIS, An Iraqi Tribe Vows To Fight Backhttp://krcc.org/post/despite-massacre-isis-iraqi-tribe-vows-fight-back
The massacre of the Albu Nimr tribe came after they had fought against the extremists of the so-called Islamic State for weeks. In Iraq's vast western province of Anbar, the tribesmen had been driven from their stronghold in the city of Hit in early October.<p>They clung on to one last outpost on the outskirts of the city for nearly two more weeks. The Albu Nimr are accustomed to fighting.Thu, 20 Nov 2014 08:52:00 +0000Alice Fordham27211 at http://krcc.orgDespite A Massacre By ISIS, An Iraqi Tribe Vows To Fight BackWho's That Lebanese Man With A Beard: Hipster Or Jihadi?http://krcc.org/post/whos-lebanese-man-beard-hipster-or-jihadi
Mazen Hariz is well-groomed. A bartender and business student, he has fine features, limpid dark eyes and a long, shiny beard topped with a twirling mustache.<p>He tends to his appearance meticulously.<p>"My beard is like my girlfriend," he says during a cigarette break from a shift at the Kayan bar in east Beirut.<p>It took seven months to grow, and needs 30 minutes of attention every morning. First, hot water, then shampoo, conditioner, blowout and then sometimes straighteners. But not too often because that's not good for the beard.<p>Girls like it, he says.Wed, 12 Nov 2014 20:27:00 +0000Alice Fordham26919 at http://krcc.orgWho's That Lebanese Man With A Beard: Hipster Or Jihadi?We Are Not Slaughterers: An Iraqi Village Rejects Islamic Militantshttp://krcc.org/post/we-are-not-slaughterers-iraqi-village-rejects-islamic-militants
The only way for civilians to get to the town of Dhuluiya is by boat across the river Tigris, since the so-called Islamic State blew up the main bridge here and tribesmen battling them commandeered the other.<p>Steering through long reeds, we pull into a little dirt harbor. Here, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, is the home of a branch of the Jubbour tribe. They're a big Sunni group in this agricultural area and they want to tell me how they've halted the advance of the Islamic State.<p>At first glance, the village seems lush.Tue, 04 Nov 2014 22:57:00 +0000Alice Fordham26581 at http://krcc.orgWe Are Not Slaughterers: An Iraqi Village Rejects Islamic MilitantsFacing The Islamic State Threat, Kurdish Fighters Unitehttp://krcc.org/post/facing-islamic-state-threat-kurdish-fighters-unite
At a checkpoint outside the northern Iraq town of Makhmur, I saw something I'd never seen before in Iraq.<p>Two men were checking cars. One was young and wearing a sand-colored uniform of the official Iraqi Kurdish forces, called the peshmerga. The other was older, grizzled and dressed in an olive-green, traditional Kurdish overall, and he's with Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).<p>"We're happy to be working together," said the older man, Hajji Hussein Abdulrahman.<p>This is a new development. Until recently, Iraqi Kurdish authorities and the peshmerga didn't deal much with the PKK.Tue, 28 Oct 2014 08:39:00 +0000Alice Fordham26241 at http://krcc.orgFacing The Islamic State Threat, Kurdish Fighters UniteIraq's Abu Ghraib Is Back In The News, Now As A Front-Line Townhttp://krcc.org/post/iraqs-abu-ghraib-back-news-now-front-line-town
To get to Abu Ghraib, I hitch a ride with an Iraqi military patrol. We start in Baghdad, where the convoy of battered Humvees weaves through heavy traffic. But as we head out west of the capital, the roads empty and we hardly see any civilian cars.<p>Mushtaq Talib, a soldier, is driving. He's been serving around Abu Ghraib for four years now. As we pass a low gray building, he points out the town's prison, which first gained notoriety as the place where Saddam Hussein locked up his opponents. After Saddam was toppled, American soldiers abused detainees there a decade ago.Fri, 24 Oct 2014 08:53:00 +0000Alice Fordham26107 at http://krcc.orgIraq's Abu Ghraib Is Back In The News, Now As A Front-Line Town